A decade of sculpting in polymer clay has given me a certain confidence in my abilities. In each of those ten years, I felt my artistic voice becomes stronger as I embrace more experimentation.
Each year, that is, except 2020.
My year began in January with a beautifully designed visual roadmap of how I wanted my artistic journey to progress. It focused on increasing face-to-face connections with other creative souls (insert Universe laughing here.) And, like everyone else in the world who attempted to create a predictable 2020 game plan, I shelved it in March.
As much as I try not to be too hard on myself, 2020 feels like a lost year. Still, I looked back at my year and discovered a few contradicting truths.
There were personal successes in 2020.
I was so busy focusing on the cancelled opportunities that I barely celebrated the fact that my work won a “Juror’s Pick” award and a “Sweetest Piece” honor at local art shows that still took place.
Pandemic restrictions weren’t the real stumbling block.
When I pulled out that shelved 2020 plan a year later, I realized it wasn’t the pandemic that stalled every goal. For example, it was a perfect time for making creative videos. The anxiety loop playing in my brain was the real blocker.
I dreaded logging onto social media and seeing the negativity. Stepping back from sharing my work online felt like a form of self-care. Digging deeper, I realize now that the reason I resisted sharing online was a nagging feeling that “whimsy” didn’t fit in this world anymore.
Finding whimsy in the dark
Of course, that isn’t true! We need whimsy more than ever. Thank you to all of the creative, happy souls who didn’t let a little global pandemic snuff out your light. Your inspiration means the world to me, and I promise to be more present in 2021 for others.